In a move that quietly reshapes the moral geography of the war in Ukraine, the European Union has lifted sanctions against Alisher Usmanov — a billionaire once named by EU officials themselves as among Vladimir Putin's closest oligarchs. The decision, reportedly driven by France, signals that the unified Western front of financial pressure against Russia's elite is no longer as solid as it once appeared. Ukraine, which has staked much of its strategic leverage on the durability of that pressure, has objected openly — a reminder that alliances forged in crisis are tested most severely not by en